What The Education Collaborative does

The Education Collaborative is a non-profit initiative of Ashesi University, headquartered in Berekuso, Ghana, that enables the systemic transformation of higher education in Africa through a peer-to-peer institutional network model founded in 2017. The organization builds and coordinates a pan-African network of 400+ higher education institutions spanning at least 13 countries, with operational regional hubs in West Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa. Its core offerings include the Virtual Learning Hub (a subscription-based learning management system), the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Diagnostic Tool (EEDT), the Business Incubation Hub Guidebook, the Honor Code Manual, the Systems Change Program for Employability, the Kepler Soft Skills Program, the Giving Voice to Values Africa (GVV Africa) ethics curriculum, and a structured Mentor Pool. Engagement is driven through annual June Convenings (230+ executives from 96 institutions at the 2023 flagship), regional hub convenings, monthly webinars, executive conferences, and Communities of Practice in ethics/leadership, entrepreneurship, and employability.

The business model combines network membership fees (annual subscription billing for institutions and departments committing to three-year transformation plans) and grant funding from development foundations including the Mastercard Foundation and AFOS Foundation. Distribution is direct-to-institution with no intermediaries, leveraging Ashesi University's exemplar institutional practices as the intellectual backbone of the network. The organization has impacted 195,000+ students since inception with a stated ten-year goal to reach 1.1 million students by 2030. Notable institutional partnerships include the Times Higher Education Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings (coordinated with Mastercard Foundation), and strategic collaboration with exemplar universities such as Stellenbosch University's SU LaunchLab, Strathmore University, Makerere University, and Bahir Dar University. Leadership is provided by Executive Director Rose Dodd, operating under the President's office at Ashesi University.

Name

The Education Collaborative

Legal name

The Education Collaborative at Ashesi

Website

https://educationcollab.ashesi.edu.gh

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Education Collaborative is a non-profit initiative of Ashesi University that operates a pan-African network of 400+ higher education institutions, delivering peer mentorship, convenings, and proprietary tools to drive institutional transformation across Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Network Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM, Digital Skills & Innovation Partnerships (EDADALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Partnerships (EDADALAK), Community Engagement & Service-Learning Partnerships (EDALAOAI)

Keywords

• Higher education network
• University transformation services
• Institutional capacity building
• Education professional development
• Faculty and curriculum support

Headquarters

HQ city

Berekuso

HQ country

Ghana

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Network Membership & Subscription: The Education Collaborative generates revenue through network membership fees and subscription-based access to the Virtual Learning Hub. Institutions pay to join the network and gain access to programs, resources, mentorship, and convenings.
2. Grants and Development Funding: The organization receives grant funding from foundations and development agencies to support specific programs. Example: Mastercard Foundation funding for African Development University's Scholars Programme.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Education Collaborative is a pan-African higher education network initiative of Ashesi University that sells institutional membership and programs to universities and colleges across Africa. It delivers a portfolio of services including multi-year institutional transformation plans, peer mentorship pairings, regional hubs, strategy workshops (entrepreneurship, career services), capacity-building programs (SCP-E, GVV Africa, Kepler Soft Skills), and a subscription-based Virtual Learning Hub, alongside diagnostic tools and guidebooks for entrepreneurship ecosystems and honor codes.

Product overview

The Education Collaborative is a network initiative of Ashesi University that enables the systemic transformation of higher education in Africa through institutional partnerships and collaborations. Rather than a single product, it offers a portfolio of interconnected programs and resources including: strategic programs (Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Diagnostic Tool, Business Incubation Hub Guidebook, Honor Code Handbook), capacity-building programs (Systems Change Program – Employability, Mentorship Program, Regional Hubs), professional development offerings (Learning Hub, Giving Voice to Values Africa, Soft Skills Programs, Strategy Workshops), and annual convenings. These offerings work together to help institutions achieve excellence in ethics and leadership, entrepreneurship, career readiness, and faculty development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GVV Africa: Giving Voice to Values Africa - Ethics and Leadership Development program tailored to the African context
• Systems Change Program

Products and services

• Systems Change Program – Employability (SCP-E) An 18-month institutional transformation program that helps African universities build active industry partnerships and establish effective career development systems for students from entry through alumni stages.
• Giving Voice to Values Africa (GVV Africa) An ethics and leadership development program tailored to the African context that empowers individuals and communities for ethical action, empathy, teamwork, and influence, including the GVV Africa for Students curriculum.
• Mentor Pool A network connecting institutions with experienced mentors who provide customized guidance on institutional transformation, curriculum development, and student services, pairing exemplar institutions with mentee institutions.
• Kepler Soft Skills Program A soft skills development initiative focusing on communication, technology competency, and professionalism for students, piloted in Rwanda and Ethiopia and expanded to public institutions including Rwanda Polytechnic.
• Entrepreneurship Strategy Workshop A workshop helping universities build intentional, institution-wide entrepreneurial ecosystems that nurture innovators and support venture creation, led by facilitators from exemplar institutions including Stellenbosch University's SU LaunchLab.
• Career Strategy Workshop A workshop focused on developing career services departments and strategies for improving graduate employability outcomes at African higher education institutions.
• Learning Hub (Virtual Learning Hub) A subscription-based learning management system offering curated and practical proven techniques in teaching, learning, and administration from Ashesi University and member institutions, supporting self-paced learning.
• Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Diagnostic Tool (EEDT) A comprehensive health-check assessment tool for university entrepreneurship ecosystems that identifies gaps and provides actionable recommendations, developed from research on exemplar institutions including Ashesi, Strathmore, Stellenbosch, Makerere, and Bahir Dar.
• Business Incubation Hub Guidebook A step-by-step guide with framework, templates, checklists, and case studies from successful African incubation hubs to help higher education institutions design, implement, or improve their business incubation hubs.
• Honor Code Handbook A step-by-step guide to establishing honor codes on campuses, leveraging the model from Ashesi University and mentoring experience with Kibi Presbyterian College of Education.
• Regional Hubs (West Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa) Regional convenings and collaborative networks enabling higher education institutions across Africa to share best practices and drive transformation in their respective regions, with annual regional convenings.
• June Convening Flagship annual convening bringing together university executives, leaders, and industry professionals from across Africa to share experiences and explore strategies for enhancing African higher education (e.g., 2023 convened 230+ executives from 96 institutions across 17 countries).

Quantifiable outcome

• 195,000+ students impacted since 2017
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, major and member.

• AFOS Foundation for Entrepreneurial DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2024AFOS Foundation partnered with Accra Technical University and The Education Collaborative to establish a Career and Skills Development Centre. The foundation provided funding support that enabled ATU to implement a Career Development Strategy and make systemic changes to improve students' employability outcomes.
• Times Higher Education (THE)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2023Partnership to develop and launch the Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings. THE developed the ranking methodology and performed data collection and analysis. The Education Collaborative coordinated the consortium of African and international higher education organizations that conceptualized the ranking system. The partnership culminated in a forum held at Ashesi University's campus.
• Ashesi UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAshesi University is the parent organization and initiator of The Education Collaborative. The initiative operates under the President's office at Ashesi University. Ashesi serves as the primary exemplar institution providing mentorship, resources, and best practices that are shared with network members.
• Kepler CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKepler College in Rwanda is a pioneering member of the network and host of the inaugural East Africa Hub Convening. The institution collaborates on the Kepler Soft Skills Program, GVV Africa for Students ethical leadership training, and serves as a key partner in the East Africa region. The collaboration has helped expand the Soft Skills Center to public institutions including Rwanda Polytechnic.
• University of Cape Coast (Ghana)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Cape Coast was a co-host of the 2023 June Convening. The institution shares best practices in entrepreneurship through its Centre for Entrepreneurship and Small Enterprises Development (CESED) and participates in peer learning exchanges.
• Pan Atlantic University (Nigeria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPan Atlantic University was a co-host of the 2023 June Convening and participates in the network's programs focusing on humanities, ethics, and faculty development.
• United States International University Africa (USIU-Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSIU-Africa in Kenya is a key network member, participating in the East Africa Hub. The institution shares expertise in entrepreneurship ecosystems and career services development, and hosted the 2024 East Africa Hub Convening discussions.
• Cavendish University UgandacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCavendish University Uganda is an active network member in the East Africa Hub, participating in convenings and sharing best practices in entrepreneurship and career services.
• Stellenbosch UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStellenbosch University's SU LaunchLab provided the lead facilitator (Brandon Paschal) for the Entrepreneurship Strategy Workshop. The institution is one of the exemplar institutions studied for the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Diagnostic Tool development.
• Garden City University College (Ghana)memberStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in the 2026 Entrepreneurship Strategy Workshop focused on building intentional entrepreneurship ecosystems across institutions.
• Rongo University (Kenya)memberStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted the inaugural East Africa Hub convening in August 2021. Key partner in the East Africa region focusing on entrepreneurship ecosystem development.
• University of Embu (Kenya)memberStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmerged as best-performing public corporation in Kenya in 2023. Partnered with The Education Collaborative to improve ethical and entrepreneurial graduate training, connecting with universities across Africa.
• University of RwandamemberStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in the 2026 Entrepreneurship Strategy Workshop and Systems Change Program - Employability. Conducted learning visit to Ashesi University and University of Cape Coast as part of the 18-month SCP-E program.
• Midlands State University (Zimbabwe)memberStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in the 2026 Entrepreneurship Strategy Workshop representing Southern Africa region.
• University of Abomey-Calavi (Benin)memberStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in the 2026 Entrepreneurship Strategy Workshop, representing Francophone West Africa in entrepreneurship ecosystem development efforts.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ashesi University: Parent organization and founding exemplar institution; the source of the Collaborative's flagship mentorship model and IP. Comparable as a leading African liberal-arts university with strong ethics and entrepreneurship curricula, and the reference institution for the Collaborative's peer-mentorship approach.
• African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF): Pan-African institution focused on capacity building for public-sector and institutional development across Africa. Comparable as a continental capacity-building convener with grant-funding and programmatic models targeting African institutional transformation.
• African Leadership University (ALU): Pan-African higher-education network operating multi-country campuses and leadership curricula. Directly comparable as a pan-African institution-builder targeting similar student outcomes (employability, entrepreneurship, ethics), though ALU runs its own campuses rather than transforming existing ones.
• African Leadership Academy (ALA): Pan-African secondary-to-tertiary leadership institution with a continental recruitment and alumni network. Comparable mission around African leadership and ethical development, with a similar networked model across African countries.
• African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS): Pan-African network of centers of excellence for postgraduate STEM education across multiple countries. Operates a similar multi-country hub model with shared curriculum and pan-African coordination, making it a structural analog to the Collaborative's regional hub approach.

Regional players

• Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA): Regional body coordinating higher education in East Africa with harmonized quality assurance and credit transfer. Operates in the same East Africa geography where the Collaborative's East Africa Hub is most active and addresses overlapping institutional transformation mandates.

Broad incumbents

• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit): German development agency funding and implementing higher-education reform programs across Africa. Overlaps with the Collaborative's institutional transformation mandate, especially in Francophone and Southern Africa where GIZ is active.
• Association of African Universities (AAU): Continental association representing hundreds of African universities with programs in quality assurance, research, and policy advocacy. A broader incumbent that overlaps in convening African universities but is more policy-oriented than the Collaborative's capacity-building focus.
• British Council (Education programmes): Large international development agency running higher-education capacity-building and partnership programs in Africa. Comparable as a convening and partnership-facilitating body, though with a global rather than African-specific focus.

Emerging players

• Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program: A network of partner universities delivering the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program across Africa. The Collaborative routes member institutions into this Scholars network (e.g., African Development University), making it both a partner and a competing channel for institutional capacity-building.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Edu_Collaborate
• Facebookfacebook.com/EducationCollaborative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-education-collaborative-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Education Collaborative